Edenred launches first nutrition education workshops for chefs in educational institutions with cafeterias

Edenred Romania, in partnership with the Association of Private Schools (ASP) and Selgros Romania, organized the first nutritional education workshop of the year in Timișoara, dedicated to school chefs. The workshop aimed to help chefs cook healthier and more appealing meals for children. The event took place with the participation of 50 chefs from public and private schools in the county and was hosted by Selgros, a partner actively involved in projects dedicated to education in the field of gastronomy.

This initiative is part of the “Meal and Class” program, an intersectoral partnership model between Edenred Romania, the Association of Private Schools (ASP), and the Association for Values in Education (AVE), launched in 2023. The program aims to support educational institutions in their efforts for systemic educational transformation and to increase access for students in schools and kindergartens to hot meals and healthy nutrition.

“Out of 17,026 public educational institutions in the 2022-2023 school year, only 1,855 had school cafeterias providing hot meals to students. However, these meals were not necessarily healthy, as we need to consider the nutritional value of the cooked dishes. After successfully training the first 50 school chefs in the capital last year, we are renewing our commitment to long-term support for healthy eating in kindergartens and schools by organizing a new workshop dedicated to chef training, this time in Timișoara. Through this initiative, we aim to create a dialogue space to raise awareness about the necessity of balanced nutrition for children and to pragmatically and effectively contribute to increasing schools’ capacity to provide access to balanced meals for students in educational institutions,” stated Lelia Mancaș, Director of Marketing, Communication, and CSR, Edenred Romania.

The course material for the nutritional education workshop consists of the “Guide to Healthy Recipes for School and Kindergarten Students.” This guide is the result of extensive collaboration between nutritionists, doctors, and chefs, providing practical and valuable support to educational institutions in promoting a balanced and nutritious diet for preschoolers and students. The material includes information and recommendations for healthy eating for children, along with 50 nutritionally balanced recipes intended for school cafeterias, serving as true menu models in line with professional reference standards. The recipes are scientifically documented with dietary surveys and are categorized by age groups. Additionally, they include nutritional labeling, making them easy to adopt not only by school cafeterias but also by catering companies serving educational institutions. The guide is available online to all schools in Romania.

The “Masă și clasă” program aligns with European public policies regarding children’s access to healthy food through hot meals in schools and is part of the social responsibility strategy of the FOOD (Fighting Obesity through Offer & Demand) Program in Romania. FOOD is the largest European public-private program promoting healthy eating habits among employees and students (nationally), coordinated by Edenred in 10 EU countries. In Romania, FOOD was launched by Edenred in 2018 under the patronage of the Presidential Administration of Romania – Public Health Department, and partners with the National Institute of Public Health and the Bucharest-Ilfov Family Doctors Association.